Safety And Health At Work

EDM number 144 in 2007-08, proposed by Michael Clapham on 07/11/2007.
Categorised under the topics of Companies, Employment and Industrial health and safety.

That this House welcomes the report `Bringing Justice to the Boardroom' commissioned by the Union of Construction Allied Trades and Technicians, which shows the failure of the voluntary guidance approach to encourage companies to nominate a director at board level for health and safety; is alarmed that only 44 per cent. of companies surveyed by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) had voluntarily appointed a director for health and safety; is concerned that only 21 per cent. of small and medium enterprises which now employ more than 50 per cent. of the UK's total workforce have nominated a director for health and safety; believes that after six years of voluntary guidance it is now time for legal change; considers that the voluntary guidance published by the Institute of Directors and the Health and Safety Commission will not motivate the necessary change in the boardroom that is required to revive the health and safety culture on the shop floor; notes that the research undertaken by Greenstreet Berman Limited for the HSE indicated that one of the major drivers in raising health and safety standards was individual legal responsibilities; and in this context calls on the Government to review the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 with a view to bringing forward measures to make the appointment of a company director at board level for health and safety a statutory duty.

This motion has been signed by a total of 70 MPs, 3 of these signatures have been withdrawn.